Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Citadel's Lightning
by Karl the Artillery Piece
Summary: At one point in history, the UN organized a covert security force to protect the peace and order the UN stood for: the Black Marks. Now replaced by the A-LAWS, the Black Marks seek to correct the errors of their ways. Evraz Lahti, a former A-LAWS pilot, joins them in their cause. The only thing standing in their way is A-LAWS and Emerald Hohenzollern, Evraz's childhood friend.


2308 A.D. The world, once engulfed in flames, is once again at peace. In order to maintain that peace, the governments of the United Nations establish an international peacekeeping force. Meant for covert operations, this unit painted their Mobile Weapons in a pitch black color. The existence of the organization remained a secret, and often times used the most advanced weaponry available.

They did the dirty work of the United Nations. They wiped terrorist cells off the map. Destroyed any opposing militant organizations. Their gun barrels "gently" persuaded nations not already a part of the UN to join. Rebellious factions were crushed.

They were the 45th Guards Security Force; The Black Marks.

2311 A.D. The United Nations is reformed into a single world government, the Earth Sphere Federation. In response to terrorism, the Federation secretly creates an independent police force called The Autonomous Peace-Keeping Force, commonly known as the A-LAWS.

Now no longer needed, the Black Mark units dissolve and are integrated into various Federal armed organizations, including A-LAWS.

Of course, this only happened on paper.

Now underground, remnants of the Black Marks eyed their replacements with discontent, convinced that they had taken their "job" a little too far. Regardless of the information manipulation done to the media, Black Mark still possessed many connections. Obtaining information of the sort proved to be no problem.

Thus they began to rearm.

2314 A.D. A Gundam appeared at a slave labor colony. One of its remains, a broken GN Sword, floated through the empty void of space. So Black Mark salvaged it. A defecting Federation Mobile Suit also arrived around the same time, damaged of course.

And now, the time had come.

XXXXX

Somewhere in the Middle East…

The sound of machinery echoed through the hanger of Black Mark base 457. A number of Mobile Suits stood against the walls of the sand-brown colored hanger. A squadron of Overflags on one side. A platoon of Tieren High Mobility Type B suits on another. Against the back wall stood an MS covered with a large tarp, flanked by two GN-X IIs.

Excluding the Tierens, with two black stripes painted on their shields, all the machines in the hanger sported a black paintjob.

A hand placed itself against the legs of one of the GN-X IIs.

The owner of the hand smiled.

"Never thought I'd get to see one of these in my lifetime," said he. Another man walked up behind the first.

"There are only so many good MS that we can get our hands on these days," said he. "We're going to need to test your new unit soon, Evraz."

Evraz Lahti turned around with a smile.

"And when do you suppose we do that, Colonel Diaz?" he replied. Diaz waved off the question before answering.

"Once we finish painting it, of course!" said he. "We don't want that god-awful A-LAWS paint scheme now do we?" Evraz sighed.

"Right, I get your point," he said, raising his hands in defeat. "Can we still keep it red, though?"

Diaz raised an eyebrow.

"Do you WANT a friendly fire incident to happen?" he asked. "Besides, if you paint your machine red they'll spot you from a long way off. It just does not go with our covert-ness."

Evraz sighed.

"Please?" he tried one last time. The two stared at each other for a moment before Diaz sighed.

"Alright, fine," he finally said. "But there is going to be splashes of grey on there, and two black stripes to avoid friendly fire. Understood, Major?"

Evraz straightened himself out into a salute.

"Yes sir," said he. Diaz nodded in approval.

"Good," said he. "You're dismissed. I'll call you when the machine is ready."

XXXXX

Red Sea, off the coast of the Sinai Peninsula

A-LAWS 4th Red Sea Fleet

2nd Assault Landing Squadron

Emerald Hohenzollern calmly zipped up her pilot suit. She was the last one in the locker room. Or rather, she is always the only one. On her particular ship, she occupied the special position of being the only female Mobile Suit pilot. Of course, there were pilots of the same gender in the service, some leagues ahead of her.

Emerald glanced at a photo attached to the door of her locker by a magnet. There she was; her younger self standing side by side with two boys and another girl. Then she glanced at another. It was just her and one of the boys now. Both wore brand new A-LAWS uniforms.

Shaking the uncertain thoughts out of her head, Emerald snatched her helmet from within the locker and slammed it shut.

XXXXX

"Major Lahti!" someone exclaimed. "Your suit is ready!"

"Right!" Evraz replied. "I'll be on my way."

He stood up, reaching for a piloting vest and a flight helmet at the same time.

Evraz approached the hanger and looked up at his personal machine.

It sported a blood-red paintjob, with some segments painted in a silvery gray. The chest and cockpit remained as it did when the machine was a GN-X III. The legs seemed to come from a heavily modified Tieren Taozi. He noticed an Overflag's backpack unit mounted to the rear, a slot for the GN drive Tau in between the two plasma thrusters. Two cannons protruded from the inner shoulder armor. A high-power linear rifle rested within a rack on the right leg.

The left arm of the machine remained the same as it used to be, the same as a GN-X III. The right arm, however came from somewhere else.

The shoulder armor was elaborate and the slim yet tough-looking arm extending from it mounted a captured GN Sword.

The machine's head seemed to be a cross between that of a Flag and a GN-X, heavily resembling a…

"Looks like a freaking Gundam," Evraz exclaimed. Diaz laughed at the observation.

"I'll take that as a compliment, then," said he.

"See the sword there?" Diaz said as he pointed at the GN Sword. "We salvaged it from the battle near the Proud Colony. We couldn't separate the thing from the arm so we attached the entire arm as a whole."

He turned around to face Evraz.

"Blood red as you requested."

Evraz raised an eyebrow.

"I thought the GN Sword was broken," he said.

"We repaired it with one of our Buster Swords," Diaz explained. "Surprisingly easy, actually."

Evraz smiled.

"Perfect," said he. "Hybrid power plant I assume?"

Diaz nodded.

"Once you run out of particles, just switch to the plasma jet propulsion system," he said. "You won't be able to use your GN weaponry, but you should be able to get away from combat."

Evraz nodded and extended his hand out to Diaz.

"Thank you, Colonel," he said. Diaz shook Evraz's hand.

"Don't mention it, Major," Diaz replied. "Get in the damn machine then! We need run some tests!"

Evraz sighed.

"Yes sir."

XXXXX

"All units, be advised!" the squadron leader said. A red Ahead and a number of GN-X IIIs flew over the desert sand of the Sinai.

"We have received a report of suspicious activity in the area. A number of local bases have recently been destroyed by what possibly are anti-Federation terrorists. Federation forces sent to investigate seem to have disappeared without a trace."

One of the GN-X IIIs looked at the Ahead in curiosity.

"What do you mean, 'without a trace,' sir?" the pilot asked. "Do you mean they were destroyed as well?"

"Or worse, they defected," the squadron leader replied.

Emerald looked around at the ground beneath her. Something appeared on the radar screen.

"Captain!" she exclaimed. "I've detected heat signatures on the ground. Possible enemy movement sir!"

The lead Ahead nodded in response.

"Good job, Lieutenant," said he. "All units descend! Let's teach those terrorist scum a lesson!"

XXXXX

A loud and annoying alarm blared, slightly shaking up Evraz as he sat in his machine's cockpit.

"What the hell…?" he uttered, before a holographic screen appeared in front of his face.

"Major Lahti!" Diaz exclaimed. "We have detected enemy mobile suits heading in our direction! Currently they are engaging terrorist forces just outside our absolute interception line! Tests for your unit will be temporarily suspended until further noti-!"

Before Diaz could finish, Evraz activated the unit's power. The GN Drive Tau plugged itself into the rear of the unit, its compound visual sensors flashing in response.

"Major, what are you doing?" Diaz exclaimed. The machine took a step forward.

"Field testing!" Evraz replied. "Might as well see how well it does in the field, right?"

Diaz sighed.

"If that's the case, First platoon is going with you," said he. "We can't risk losing you, let alone your machine."

Evraz smiled.

"Thanks Colonel," said he. "Anything else?"

Diaz scratched his head before responding.

"Got a good name for the machine yet?" he asked. "You know, for propaganda purposes?"

Evraz scratched his head.

"…Linnoitus," he said. "Gundam Linnoitus."

Diaz nodded in approval.

"Finnish for 'citadel' right?" he asked. Evraz nodded.

He flexed his fingers a bit before laying them back down onto the controls.

"Right then," Evraz breathed.

"Gundam Linnoitus, Evraz Lahti, launching!"

* * *

Author's notes: Hello. Karl here. Welcome to my new Gundam fic. The last time I wrote about anything related to Gundam it resulted in utter failure, so hopefully this one works out.

Constructive criticism is appreciated, and enjoy the show.

-SPSH Karl


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